Working Smart

There is an old saying that goes “the laziest people are the ones that work the hardest”. At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction, but what are the repercussions of lazy or “get ‘er done” behavior?

First, a lazy person does things in a disorganized, haphazard way, just to get the task done, so they can return to lounging on the couch and eating cheese puffs. Second, they don’t ask for help, so it takes much longer to accomplish the task. Third, because they are usually shooting from the hip, they make a lot of mistakes that require more work and the cycle begins anew.

Let’s look at this from the perspective of moving a piece of furniture. That bookcase really needs to be moved, and I know it is too heavy for me to move by myself, but I’m going to do it anyway. I not going take the time to see if the doorway is big enough to get the bookcase through, so I will just to force it. Now the bookcase is scratched, and the molding around the door has been damaged. Since I didn’t take the time to figure how I was going to move this huge, unwieldy piece of furniture, I have left scratch marks all the way across the hardwood floor. What could have been an easy task had I taken the time to think it through and maybe even ask for help, has now turned into a whole weekend of repairs to the floor, the bookcase, and the door frame.

Take the time to do it right the first time and save yourself the pain of being lazy.